Parliamentary questions

Family Income Supplement Eligibility

Stephen Donnelly

369. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason family income support is not paid to the self employed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52367/12]

Budget 2013

Stephen Donnelly

5. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will outline the way the forecasted €2.25 billion cuts for Budget 2013 will be distributed across Government Departments; if he will outline the processes and analysis used to determine this distribution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51921/12]

Banking Sector Remuneration

Stephen Donnelly

58. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Finance if any correspondence has been entered into with Allied Irish Banks, Bank of Ireland and any other banks in which the State has a stake, calling on senior staff to waive a portion of their salaries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51724/12]

Departmental Agencies Staff Remuneration

Stephen Donnelly

59. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide the contents of all return correspondence from the National Treasury Management Agency in response to correspondence calling for senior staff to waive a portion of their salaries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51725/12]

Departmental Agencies Staff Remuneration

Stephen Donnelly

60. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide the contents of the letter sent to the National Treasury Management Agency at the end of 2011 that reportedly calls on senior staff to waive a portion of their salaries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51726/12]

Mortgage Debt

Stephen Donnelly

210. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Finance the total amount of mortgage debt the Bank of Ireland has surrendered in the Republic of Ireland to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51262/12]

Hospital Waiting Lists

Stephen Donnelly

611. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the position regarding an operation in respect of a child (details supplied) in County Wicklow. [49636/12]

EU Funding

Stephen Donnelly

170. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on whether the outcome of the negotiations on the EU’s Multi-Annual Financial Framework will reflect Ireland’s core values; if there is support from Ireland and other EU member states for the Commission’s proposal to increase the budget for the EU’s foreign policies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48373/12]

Budget 2013

Stephen Donnelly

185. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide the full list of budgetary information, not the actual data, which will be sent to foreign individuals and or groups, for example the IMF, ECB, the European Commission, the German Parliament, before being seen by Dáil Éireann, including for each one, the name of the person or organisation, the type of information which will be sent, the date it will be sent and the agreement treaty it is being sent under; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48008/12]

Student Grant Scheme Delays

Stephen Donnelly

339. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the provisions, being made to clear the backlog of 52,430 claims to Student Universal Support Ireland for third level grants; the way such a backlog, was allowed to build up; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48088/12]

Irish Coast Guard Issues

Stephen Donnelly

1211. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport in relation to the forthcoming decision affecting the future of Valentia Radio Station, County Kerry, if a decision has been made regarding the future of the station; if he will reveal that decision; if a decision has not been made, when will he bring his recommendations to Cabinet and when he expects a decision to be made; the specific evaluation criteria there are for any such decision, including weightings; and his plans regarding the offer made to him directly by the Director of the Coast Guard to transfer key rescue communications equipment and eventually staff from Malin Head, County Donegal and Valentia to Blanchardstown, County Dublin. [47876/12]

Irish Coast Guard Issues

Stephen Donnelly

1212. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport in relation to the maritime radio stations, his plan to merge the MSO and IRCG divisions similar to the UK, thus saving on manpower and making end to end marine safety more efficient. [47877/12]

Personal Insolvency Act

Stephen Donnelly

181. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality with regards to the Personal Insolvency Bill, if he will consider shortening the duration of bankruptcy and voluntary debt settlement agreements to two years, for a limited period, in order to clear the household debt overhang at a minimal social cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46863/12]

Tax Yield

Stephen Donnelly

171. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Finance if he will calculate the return to the Exchequer of a 50% flat rate of tax on gambling profits, including lotteries and sweepstakes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46112/12]

Tax Yield

Stephen Donnelly

181. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Finance if he will calculate the return to the Exchequer of a 1 cent levy on all SMS messages sent nationally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46264/12]

Bank Guarantee Scheme Bond Repayments

Stephen Donnelly

91. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Finance further to Leaders' questions on 3 October 2012, where the Minister for Education and Skills stated the Government was forced to repay €1 billion to the holders of unsecured bonds in Allied Irish Bank at the insistence of the EU IMF Troika, if he will provide documentation to substantiate this assertion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45214/12]

NAMA Receivers

Stephen Donnelly

154. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Finance if he will clarify and expound on recent media comments (details supplied) that indicated the National Asset Management Agency faces a loss of up to €15 billion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42869/12]

Bank Guarantee Scheme Bond Repayments

Stephen Donnelly

3. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Finance if he will identify the unsecured AIB bondholders who were paid €1,000,000,000 earlier in the week; the steps he has taken to date to identify them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42591/12]

Dublin Bus Services

Stephen Donnelly

594. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Transport; Tourism and Sport if he will instruct the National Transport Authority to provide a subsidy for the No. 2 Bus Éireann route which under proposed changes will no longer serve St. Vincent's Hospital, curtailing access to healthcare for the people of Arklow, County Wicklow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41333/12]

Personal Insolvency Bill

Stephen S. Donnelly

53 Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Finance if, further to Parliamentary Question No. 114 of 5 July 2012, if it is the case that the Personal Insolvency Bill was discussed with representatives of the banks in the period between it being approved by Cabinet and the briefing of Members of the Oireachtas on 29 June; the names of the representatives of the banks present; the banks represented; the nature and length of the discussion; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[35945/12]

Equality Tribunal Cases

Stephen S. Donnelly

580 Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of cases in which his Department is a respondent to claims by staff members that are currently before the Equality Tribunal or Labour Court; if he will state in each case when his Department was first notified of the claim; if he will state in each case if his Department was invited by the Equality Tribunal to engage in mediation and whether it engaged in mediation, if not, the reason for same; if he will estimate for each case the financial exposure that each case presents and the amount of legal fees incurred to date on each case; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[36236/12]

Palliative Care

Stephen S. Donnelly

741 Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Health if he will confirm that general practitioners in Wicklow have been advised that, in palliative care cases, they are only to refer patients that are actively dying to the Wicklow community specialist palliative care team, due to staffing shortages and-or cuts; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[36286/12]

Regulatory and Poverty Impact Assessments

Stephen S. Donnelly

62 Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Taoiseach with regard to all legislation initiated by him since coming into office, the number of Bills that have completed the legislative process; the number of occasions on which amendments proposed by members of the Opposition have been accepted; the number of Bills for which regulatory impact analysis have been published; the number of Bills for which poverty impact analysis have been published; and where a Bill was exempt from the requirements to do poverty impact and regulatory impact analysis, to state same.
[34350/12]

Regulatory and Poverty Impact Assessments

Stephen S. Donnelly

63 Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Taoiseach if he will clarify the procedures operating in his Department for identifying when a Bill requires a poverty impact and or regulatory impact analysis and when it is exempt; the procedures for conducting and publishing that analysis, when applicable; and if he will identify, by rank or position, the officials responsible for managing and making decisions on this process.
[34351/12]

Tax Code

Stephen S. Donnelly

109 Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Finance further to Parliamentary Question No. 40 of 20 June 2012, if he will instruct or request his officials, or the Revenue Commissioners, to prepare an analysis of the estimated net cost to the Exchequer of making child care tax deductible, using the data on the cost of child care from the review of the cost of a full-day child care placement published by the National Children’s Nurseries Association in 2007, adjusted as appropriate or comparable research, and data on the numbers of families using childcare from the report A Social Portrait of Children in Ireland, published by the Office for Social Inclusion in 2007, adjusted as appropriate or comparable research, in order to compensate for the fact that the Revenue does not capture data on the overall net cost of child care.
[33024/12]

Tax Code

Stephen S. Donnelly

110 Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Finance further to Parliamentary Question No. 40 of 20 June 2012, if, in the case that he is not in a position to have such analysis prepared within the Department or the Revenue, he will release funding in order to allow me to commission such analysis from independent experts in the field.
[33025/12]

Proposed Legislation

Stephen S. Donnelly

190 Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform with regard to the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme) and Remuneration Bill, if he will provide the national employer contributions for the groups listed in the rates of contribution table on page 21 of the Bill, which would be required in a funded scheme with the same employee contributions and benefits; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[33059/12]

Departmental Bodies

Stephen S. Donnelly

198 Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he is prepared to meet representatives of the Consumers Association of Ireland to discuss the organisation’s urgent financial position; and if he has communicated such to the association following its repeat requests for a meeting.
[33181/12]

Social Welfare Benefits

Stephen S. Donnelly

211 Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide a breakdown of the cost of the survivor’s pension for the nearest year for which this is available; the number receiving this pension; and the total cost of the pension to the State.
[33718/12]

Carer’s Allowance

Stephen S. Donnelly

287 Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 376 of 3 July 2012 if, in view of the fact that constituents are reporting that deciding officers have refused to accept any evidence of a joint custody arrangement other than a court order, she will confirm that a letter from a solicitor should be regarded, in ordinary circumstances, as acceptable documentation by the officer administering the scheme; and if she will issue an instruction to that effect.
[33660/12]

Legislative Briefings

Stephen S. Donnelly

114 Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will list all organisations and individuals who were briefed on the Personal Insolvency Bill between the Cabinet meeting on 26 June 2012 and the briefing for Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas on 29 June at 2.30 pm; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[32819/12]

Rent Supplement Scheme

Stephen S. Donnelly

376 Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 83 of 20 June 2012, in which she stated that documentation is normally required showing that a joint custody arrangement is in place and being availed of before a decision can be made on rent supplement, if she has issued any instruction; or if her attention has been drawn to any instruction being issued in her Department, that the only documentation that will be accepted in these cases is a court order; if such instruction has been issued, if she will rescind same; if she will specify the forms of documentation that will fulfil this requirement to prove that a joint custody arrangement is in place; and if the latter does not already include a letter form a solicitor, if she will ensure that this is now included as acceptable.
[32250/12]

Gender Recognition

Stephen S. Donnelly

391 Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Social Protection in view of the fact that it is now just over two years since the Government accepted the High Court declaration that the failure to grant legal recognition to a person (details supplied) in her female gender was a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights; if she will explain the delay in introducing legislation to provide for legal recognition of transgender persons and when this legislation will be introduced.
[32460/12]